


He Said He Loves You

by zipandzap95



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Parent!lock, Post-TFP, Rosie Watson - Freeform, season 4 epilogue, season 4 fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zipandzap95/pseuds/zipandzap95
Summary: "Daddy, is Sheh-lock my other papa?"------John is living happily with Sherlock and Rosie in 221B, a year after the events of Sherrinford. Rosie is a toddler, and she doesn't know what she's saying half of the time.So what happens when she says the one thing that John could never utter himself in seven years? And how is he going to face Sherlock?
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson & Rosamund Mary "Rosie" Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Comments: 22
Kudos: 209





	He Said He Loves You

John holds his arms outstretched as Rosie waddles over to him, holding her teddy bear. She’s still rubbing her eyes after just having woken up, and her light blonde hair shines in the morning light that filters through the windows.

“Ah!” John Watson sighs as he picks two-year-old Rosie up in his arms. “How are you today, pumpkin?”

“Good, daddy,” said his daughter. “Where’s Sheh-Lock?”

John laughed at his daughter’s pronunciation of his best friend and flatmate’s name.

“He’s still sleeping,” answered John, and he softly touched his index finger to his daughters nose. “He stayed up late working a case last night.”

“Daddy, is Sheh-lock my other papa?”

This caught John by surprise, and he wrinkled his brow.

“What makes you say that, Rosie?” said John.

“Nothing really,” said Rosie in her high voice. “I just don’t know who he is exactly. I was just wondering, since he’s always around.”

Rosie gave a yawn, and John smiled. He walked his daughter to her room and lay her down on her bed. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, ready to go back to sleep.

“Well Rosie, since you’re wondering,” said John. “Sherlock is my best friend. We’ve known each other for years. Now let’s just say that Sherlock is the snobbiest knob that I know.”

By now Rosie’s eyes are closed, and she’s breathing softly, her small chest rising up and down. John stands up.

“But I love him. So much,” said John. “Always have.”

With tears suddenly brimming John’s eyes, he left his daughter’s room.

* * *

Later on that day, the three inhabitants of 221B Baker Street were sitting together in the livingroom. John sat in his chair reading the paper, and Sherlock was helping Rosie with her letter blocks.

“No, Rosie,” said Sherlock in the softest voice that he could possibly use. “This letter’s supposed to go over here.”

“No it isn’t, you snobby knob,” said Rosie, giggling.

Immediately, John looked up from his newspaper, and looked at his daughter in surprise and anger.

“ROSIE!” John said, his voice rising. “Why would you say that?”

Rosie shrugged her small shoulders. “That’s what you called him this morning, Daddy.”

Sherlock chuckled. He hadn’t shown any signs of being offended yet, only amused.

“Did he, now?” Sherlock asked playfully. “When was that?”

“Before you woke up,” answered Rosie.

“Rosie, what did we say about thinking before you speak?” John asked, but he went ignored as Sherlock shifted towards Rosie.

“What else did your father say?” Sherlock asked.

Rosie beamed.

“He said he LOVES you,” Rosie said in a teasing and playful voice, and she expected Sherlock to laugh.

But Sherlock’s smile immediately disappeared, and replaced by shock. He did not laugh. John quickly got up and picked Rosie up into his arms in a rush.

“Rosie, I think you need to have a change,” said John, trying to distract Sherlock and Rosie from the rising redness in his face.

“HE SAYS HE’S ALWAYS LOVED YOU!” Rosie yelled and laughed from John’s arms. The door to Rosie’s changing room closed behind them.

* * *

Eventually, John had to leave the changing room, and when he did, he went into Rosie’s room in a hurry. He put her down for a nap, and stayed by her bedside for hours, too afraid to face Sherlock.

Sherlock was bound to find out at some point of his feelings for his flatmate. John just didn’t think it’d be this soon, or in this way.

John was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped out of his skin when Rosie’s door opened.

Sherlock stood in the doorway of Rosie’s bedroom, and an inexplicable expression was on his face. John swallowed hard. He was afraid that something was very wrong.

“John please come out here. I don’t want to wake Rosie when we talk.”

John couldn’t help but swallow again, nervousness creeping into his stomach.

As he followed Sherlock out into the hall, he closed Rosies door softly behind him. When John turned around again, Sherlock’s deep gaze was on him. John could feel himself sweat underneath the heat it gave him.

“Sherlock…I…um…” John said, stuttering, and realized that he had no idea what to say. “I…don’t…”

“January 30, 2010.”

John wasn’t sure that Sherlock had spoken at first because his voice was so soft.

“I’m sorry what?” John asked.

“That’s how long.” Sherlock replied. “How long…I’ve…”

“Loved me?” John finished, voice shaking.

Now it seemed that Sherlock had nothing to say. He was scared. It showed on his face. And it unnerved John.

“January 30,” said John, breaking the silence. “We…met on the 29.”

Sherlock looked up. His eyes were red. “I know,” said Sherlock.

John rubbed his face. His heart was pounding.

“I understand if you don’t return the sentiment,” said Sherlock, and he was so near tears that it made John look up. “I just heard Rosie today, and I…it’s okay. This was…it was a mistake. We can go to the way things were. I’m sorry, John, I-“

Sherlock’s words were swallowed up as John kissed him, stunning Sherlock into silence.

It took two seconds for Sherlock to kiss back. His arms came around John’s waist, and pulled him closer. John’s hands lifted themselves, and combed through Sherlock’s hair and cupped his face.

After a minute, they decided they would quite like to breathe, and they broke apart. They breathed heavily, Sherlock’s hot breath on John’s ear. John buried his face in Sherlock’s neck, and he smiled.

After several moments of standing there holding each other, John tilted his head and whispered on Sherlock’s mouth.

“January 30, 2010,” said John through his breaths. “That’s how long I’ve loved you.”

**Author's Note:**

> (Please forgive me, I wrote this like three years ago, so it's just a jumble of words.. >_< hope you liked it!) 
> 
> Please review :)


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